When Bronya woke up again, she found herself in a strange place.
"Welcome to the Sea of Quanta, successor from the real world."
"Who are you?"
Looking at the young boy, Bronya asked her question.
How could a child survive in the Sea of Quanta?
Thus, Bronya immediately became wary.
"You'll learn my identity later. But for now, you must pass my trials. If you pass three trials, you will become the new Herrscher of Reason."
"???"
"Bronya doesn't want to become a Herrscher. Bronya just wants to save Seele."
Shaking her head, Bronya rejected the boy's proposal.
But the boy seemed to have anticipated this and continued, "In the infinite Sea of Quanta, finding someone is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
But if you become the Herrscher of Reason, the chances will increase significantly. Moreover, without the power of a Herrscher, it will be difficult for you to return to the real world.
You have no anchor in reality, but the Herrscher core comes from reality. With it, you can open an anchor to return."
"...Fine, Bronya accepts your trials."
Hearing the boy's explanation, Bronya thought for a moment and agreed.
Seeing this, the boy smiled and took out a book.
"Then the first trial begins. Let's see your resolve. Can you become the new Herrscher of Reason and lead humanity to a future where they overcome the Honkai?"
As the book opened, Bronya entered the dream of the first trial.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Sea of Quanta...
Slurp~
A white-haired man squatted beside a large tree, slurping noodles from the real world.
At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the direction of the boy's trials.
"Kevin, do you really have to stare so intently? Chang Yuan's script won't go wrong."
"Not going wrong is one thing, but what if it does? We need to eliminate all possibilities of accidents. I don't want the worst future to come true."
Without turning around, Kevin continued slurping his noodles while watching the trials, waiting for his moment to appear.
His friend Su, standing beside him, sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"And can you not eat instant noodles here? The slurping is really annoying."
"What else am I supposed to eat? This damn Sea of Quanta has nothing else. Should I ask Mei to cook?"
"...Then keep eating your noodles."
Hearing Kevin's words, Su fell silent.
But at that moment, a familiar figure appeared.
"Kevin, do you have a problem with my cooking? If so, tell me. Maybe I can improve."
"!!!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kevin froze mid-slurp, a mouthful of noodles still hanging from his lips. He quickly turned around.
There stood a bespectacled woman, her fists clenched as she glared at him.
Kevin swallowed the noodles and spoke, "Uh, what a coincidence, Mei. Fancy meeting you here. What are the odds, huh? Hahaha."
"Coincidence aside, I heard you're not satisfied with my cooking?"
"...No, you have to believe me. How about this? Once this script is over, we'll go home and have a meal."
"Fine. I came here to make sure nothing goes wrong, but with Su here to keep an eye on you, I can leave now."
Mei had come because she was worried about Kevin, but seeing Su by his side, she felt reassured and left.
After Mei left, Kevin felt like the sky had fallen.
If any other survivors from the Previous Era had seen this, their faith would have shattered.
The strongest warrior they knew had been reduced to this state.
"Su, you're still a doctor, right?"
"...Yes."
"Then don't give up on your dream. Maybe improve your skills a bit more."
"...I'll try. But I don't think Mei's cooking is bad enough to harm someone like you, the vessel of the Stigmata Project."
In a way, Kevin, though no longer a MANTIS, was far stronger than he had been in the original story.
Through the evolving Stigmata, Mei had successfully integrated Honkai beast genes into the Stigmata, granting Kevin more direct access to their power.
However, there was a drawback: he couldn't undergo artificial collapse, which was necessary to unleash 100% of a Honkai beast's power.
Without it, the Stigmata could only release 70% of the power.
But that was enough. Kevin now bore Stigmata from all Honkai beasts, including gene fragments from Herrschers and even the Flame-Chasers.
Of course, Elysia's Stigmata was absent, as it was too unique to replicate.
Thus, if Kevin went all out, the Herrscher of the End from the Previous Era would be no match for him.
But the real enemy wasn't the Herrscher of the End—it was the Cocoon of Finality behind it.
Even if Kevin could defeat the Herrscher of the End, the Cocoon would simply empower it further.
So, despite Kevin's immense strength, he still couldn't defeat the Cocoon.
"...The problem isn't that Mei's cooking is harmful. It's that it makes me nauseous! Honkai crystals, Honkai beast tentacles—who can eat that?"
"Then why don't you tell her?"
"I... I don't want to disappoint her."
Because of Kevin's unique physiology, Mei believed normal food couldn't satisfy him.
So, to ensure he was well-fed, she experimented with other ingredients.
That's why Mei used those bizarre components in her cooking.
Knowing Mei meant well, Kevin didn't want to discourage her.
"...You're hopeless. When you die, I'll preserve your body so you can stay by her side forever."
Hearing Kevin's reasoning, Su could only shake his head.
"Hey, you jerk. I thought you were my best friend."
"Shut up. You're the one who's like a son to me. When the Honkai is over, I'll take you to a family amusement park. You get the child discount."
"Come on, let's fight! Whoever loses is the son!"